• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Español
  • Explore Health Plans
    • Individual & Family
    • Medicare Plans
    • Life Insurance
    • Dental & Vision
    • Small Group
    • Travel Health
  • Resource Blog
  • (855) 522-2201
  • Menu Menu

2021 Special Enrollment Period Access Extended to August 15 on HealthCare.gov for Marketplace Coverage

ACA, Individual and Family, Medicaid, Special Enrollment Period

Today, President Biden announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is extending access to the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) until August 15 – giving consumers additional time to take advantage of new savings through the American Rescue Plan. 

This action provides new and current enrollees an additional three months to enroll or re-evaluate their coverage needs with increased tax credits available to reduce premiums.

“Every American deserves access to quality, affordable health care – especially as we fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Through this Special Enrollment Period, the Biden Administration is giving the American people the chance they need to find an affordable health care plan that works for them. The American Rescue Plan will bring costs down for millions of Americans, and I encourage consumers to visit HealthCare.gov and sign up for a plan before August 15.”

As a result of the American Rescue Plan, additional savings will be available for consumers through HealthCare.gov starting April 1. These savings will decrease premiums for many, on average, by $50 per person per month and $85 per policy per month. On average, one out of four enrollees on HeathCare.gov will be able to upgrade to a higher plan category that offers better out of pocket costs at the same or lower premium compared to what they’re paying today. 

Consumers who want to access the SEP to enroll in coverage and see if they qualify for financial help to reduce the cost of monthly premiums, can visit HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov to view 2021 plans and prices and enroll in a plan that best meets their needs. Additionally, consumers can call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596, which provides assistance in over 150 languages. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.  Consumers can also find a local assister or agent/broker in their area: https://localhelp.healthcare.gov

Consumers who are eligible and enroll under the SEP will be able to select a plan with coverage that could start as soon as the first month after plan selection. Current enrollees will be able to change to any plan available to them in their area. To take advantage of the SEP, current enrollees should review their application and make changes, if needed, to their current information and submit their application in order to receive an updated eligibility result.

Additionally, beginning in early July on HealthCare.gov, consumers who have received or have been determined eligible to receive unemployment compensation for any week during 2021 may be able to get another increase in savings when enrolling in new Marketplace coverage or updating their existing Marketplace application and enrollment. These savings to be made available starting in early July for eligible consumers are in addition to the increased savings available to consumers on HealthCare.gov starting April 1.

The SEP is currently available to consumers in the 36 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform. Consumers served by State-based Marketplaces that use their own platform can check their state’s website to find out more information on Special Enrollment Periods in their state.

This article was originally published on hhs.gov on March 23, 2021.
Written by: HHS Press Office

 Click Here to Shop & Compare Health Plans >

 

 

 

March 24, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-24 18:27:002022-03-24 21:07:362021 Special Enrollment Period Access Extended to August 15 on HealthCare.gov for Marketplace Coverage

How Capitol Hill can meet nation’s steep health care challenges

News

More than 525,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19 and the pandemic continues to defy the desire for things to “return to normal.” Meanwhile, the pandemic’s disparate impact has exposed deep health inequities along racial and ethnic lines and has highlighted the need to bolster a neglected public health system.

While the challenges are steep, there are immediate steps Congress can take to address these challenges and begin moving the country in the right direction, said members of AMA’s federal advocacy staff during the 2021 AMA National Advocacy Conference, which was held virtually this year due to the pandemic.

The staffers explained these issues in a panel discussion moderated by Margaret Brennan, host of the CBS News program “Face the Nation.”

After a discussion on public health and the need to address concerns such as education, transportation and child care in Black, Hispanic and Indigenous communities, Brennan questioned where the AMA can start such a monumental endeavor.

Without hesitation, AMA Congressional Affairs Director Jason Marino pointed to the newly reintroduced “Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA’s) Act.”

“There are racial disparities between white women who are pregnant and deliver a baby versus Black women—and it’s been going on for a long time,” Marino said. The bill would “collect the data that’s needed to address the problem, and then do things like expanding Medicaid and CHIP coverage for a year postpartum. That can be done right now.”

Learn more about the AMA’s support for action on maternal health and mortality.

Lowering the uninsured rate

In a discussion on how to get more people health insurance coverage, Brennan prodded on how to move forward regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“Despite years and years of attacks, and now four years of neglect, the ACA has really proven pretty resilient,” said AMA Senior Vice President for Advocacy Todd Askew. “Even with the loss of the individual mandate, lack of real outreach and enrollment activity not at the level it should be, enrollment in the marketplace has fluctuated between 11.5 and 12.5 half million people.”

Askew added that many who are uninsured are eligible for free or very low-cost coverage through Medicaid expansion or their state’s individual insurance marketplace—two options created by the ACA.

More can be insured with tweaks to the marketplace subsidy structure and if the remaining 12 states that haven’t expanded their Medicaid program eligibility to up to 138% of the federal poverty level do so, Askew said. That is the most promising path forward, he argued.

“If we go to a debate about remaking the entire system, we spend the next two years debating it and probably come up with nothing,” Askew said.

Policy changes require bipartisanship

While the latest COVID-19 relief package is being pushed through Congress via the reconciliation process that prevents the use of the Senate filibuster, a bipartisan approach will be needed for nonbudgetary actions.

“Reconciliation is not a vehicle that’s available for making policy changes,” said Cynthia Brown, AMA vice president of government affairs. “Sooner or later, if Congress wants to enact new policy, they’re going to have to act in a more bipartisan way. And certainly, what we’re trying to position ourselves to do is be able to work with both sides.”

Key actions AMA is advocating for Congress to take include:

  • Extending the moratorium on the Medicare sequester to prevent 2% physician pay cuts.
  • Eliminating Medicare’s geographic and originating site restrictions on where telehealth may be used.
  • Supporting legitimate research to evaluate the potential efficacy and safety of medicines derived from cannabis.

Brown noted that there is a bipartisan bill pending in the House of Representatives that would extend the sequester moratorium through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, but a companion bill hasn’t been introduced in the Senate. Action is needed soon because the moratorium is set to expire March 31.

This article was originally published on ama-assn.org on March 17 2021.
Written by: Andis Robeznieks

Apply for Health Insurance Coverage Today for even more savings!

March 20, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-20 13:15:002022-05-27 21:38:35How Capitol Hill can meet nation’s steep health care challenges

Fact Sheet: The American Rescue Plan: Reduces Health Care Costs, Expands Access to Insurance Coverage and Addresses Health Care Disparities

General Information

The Biden-Harris Administration is reducing health care costs, expanding access to coverage, and ensuring nearly everyone who buys their own individual or family health insurance through a Marketplace can receive a tax credit to reduce their premiums. 

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) not only provides the resources for America to beat this pandemic, but it also expands access to health insurance coverage, lowers costs, and ensures that health care truly is a right for all Americans.

It’s Working: After the Biden-Harris Administration made available a Special Enrollment Period through the Federal Marketplace from February 15 to May 15 for people who needed health care coverage during the pandemic, more than 200,000 people signed up for Marketplace coverage through HealthCare.gov in the first two weeks – a three-fold year over year increase. Now following the passage of the ARP more than 14.9 million Americans who currently lack health insurance and many current enrollees will receive additional financial support to find the coverage that best meets their needs at a price they can afford.

  • More Affordable Options are Available: Many people who enroll in health coverage through HealthCare.gov will qualify to save money on their premiums. Premiums after advance payment of these increased tax credits will decrease, on average, by $50 per person per month and $85 per policy per month. Four out of five enrollees (up from 69% pre-ARP) will be able to find a plan for $10 or less per month after tax credits, and over 50% (up from 14% pre-ARP) will be able to find a Silver plan for $10 or less per month.
  • Making it Easier for Consumers: Starting on April 1, consumers will be able to take advantage of increased premium tax credits on high quality health care plans when they enroll in coverage through HealthCare.gov. Every day, we’re working to make the consumer experience even better, streamlining HealthCare.gov and providing the help and support consumers want in order to understand their options and pick the right plan for their families.

The American Rescue Plan:

Reduces the cost of health care coverage for 9 million consumers currently receiving financial assistance by ensuring consumers eligible for premium tax credits have at least a couple plans to choose from that won’t cost more than 8.5% of their household income on their Marketplace plan premium per year.

  • Many premiums will decrease, on average, by $50 per person per month and $85 per policy per month.
  • Four out of five enrollees (up from 69% pre-ARP) will be able find a plan for $10 or less per month after tax credits, and over 50% (up from 14% pre-ARP) will be able to find a Silver plan for $10 or less per month.
  • 1 out of 4 enrollees on Heathcare.gov will be able to upgrade to a higher plan category that offers better out of pocket costs at the same or lower premium compared to what they’re paying today (excludes enrollees already at the highest health plan category available, including certain enrollees eligible for cost sharing reductions).
  • For example:
    • Uninsured couples earning over $70,000 could save more than$1,000 per month on their monthly premium.
    • A family of four making $90,000 will see their premiums decrease by $200 per month.
    • An individual making $19,000 will be able to find health insurance coverage with no monthly premium, saving roughly $66 per month on average.

Expands the number of people eligible to save money on their health care coverage.

About 14.9 million Americans who currently lack health insurance will be able to save money on their premiums to find the coverage they need at a price they can afford:

  • 3.6 million uninsured people are estimated to be newly eligible for health care coverage savings.(See state level data in table 1)
  • 1.8 million uninsured people are estimated to be eligible for zero-dollar benchmark Marketplace coverage, since PTC-eligible individuals with incomes below 150% of the FPL will now qualify for a 100% premium subsidy for the benchmark Marketplace plan. (See state level data in table 1.)  Millions more are eligible for zero-dollar coverage for non-benchmark plans.
  • An additional 9.5 million uninsured people with incomes between 150% and 400% of the FPL are estimated to potentially qualify for additional financial support to reduce out-of-pocket costs for Marketplace premiums.

Addresses racial health inequities by expanding coverage and reducing costs. Increased affordability and health insurance coverage expansion will allow historically uninsured communities – especially those who have faced significant health disparities – to access coverage, thereby improving opportunities for health care during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated stark health disparities among certain racial and ethnic minority populations in several areas, including infections, hospitalizations, death rates, and vaccination rates.  Many of these same populations have experienced job loss or loss of health insurance coverage at disproportionally high rates.
    • 48,000 uninsured American Indians and Alaska Natives will be newly eligible to save money on health care coverage and 21,000 will be eligible for zero-dollar benchmark Marketplace plans.
    • 730,000 uninsured Latinos will be newly eligible to save money on health care coverage and 580,000 will be eligible for zero-dollar benchmark Marketplace plans.
    • 360,000 uninsured Black and African Americans will be newly eligible to save money on health care coverage and328,000 will be eligible for zero-dollar benchmark Marketplace plans.
    • 197,000 uninsured Asian, Native-Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will be newly eligible to save money on health care coverage, and 50,000 will be eligible for zero-dollar benchmark Marketplace plans.
  • The Biden-Harris administration is further expanding access to health insurance coverage and improving access to mental health services and community-based programs that address social determinants of health. 

This article was originally published on hhs.gov on May 12, 2021.
Written by: HHS Press Office

Get Your Health Insurance Quote Now >

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE FACT SHEET >

 

 

March 16, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-16 20:02:002021-03-16 20:02:00Fact Sheet: The American Rescue Plan: Reduces Health Care Costs, Expands Access to Insurance Coverage and Addresses Health Care Disparities

Healthcare.gov: You Can Do This!

ACA, Health Resources, Individual and Family, Medicaid
Read more
March 15, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-15 02:30:002022-03-24 21:13:02Healthcare.gov: You Can Do This!

The Next Frontier In Health Care Transparency: Health Plan Drug Coverage Policy

General Information
Read more
March 13, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-13 02:29:462022-03-24 21:13:39The Next Frontier In Health Care Transparency: Health Plan Drug Coverage Policy

The American Rescue Plan: Reduces Health Care Costs, Expands Access to Coverage and More

ACA, General Information, Medicaid, Special Enrollment Period
Read more
March 13, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-13 02:29:352022-03-24 21:14:13The American Rescue Plan: Reduces Health Care Costs, Expands Access to Coverage and More

Covid-19 Stimulus Bill Contains Biggest Change to Obamacare Since 2010

General Information

The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill under consideration by the House after passage by the Senate would increase subsidies to people who buy Affordable Care Act health plans, marking the biggest changes to the health law since its passage in 2010.

The subsidy changes would be temporary and expire after two years, but would mean much lower payments for almost 14 million people now insured on the individual market. The package also includes funding aimed at enticing states that didn’t expand their Medicaid programs earlier to do so now, and subsidies to cover the cost of health insurance for people who lose their jobs.

Currently under the ACA, people who earn 400% of the federal poverty level aren’t eligible for the tax credits, also known as subsidies, that help offset the cost of buying health plans. That means a single person who earns more than about $51,000 isn’t eligible, nor is a family of three that makes about $87,000.

The legislation would eliminate an income cap that limits who is eligible for ACA tax credits to reduce monthly insurance premiums. It would also limit the amount households pay to only 8.5% of their income on healthcare, and it would boost subsidies to lower-income consumers.

With the increased subsidies, costs would come down for many who buy ACA-compliant plans. For a 60-year-old with a $55,000 income, premiums would drop by around 50% to 80% depending on the plan, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

The subsidy boost for the ACA plans has been a long-held goal of Democrats who say expanding the tax credits would allow more people to benefit from the coverage.

Democrats have praised the subsidy expansion as a way to improve upon the ACA by ending its so-called subsidy cliff, saying it will benefit low- and middle-income families, and reduce health-insurance expenses for lower-income people. They are expected to press to make it permanent during the 2022 midterm elections.

“Affordable, accessible health coverage is a necessity in a pandemic,” said Rep. Richard Neal (D., Mass.)

Republicans and some conservative advocacy groups oppose the plan, saying the federal government will spend billions of dollars to help insure a relatively low number of people who aren’t financially needy. They also call it a handout to insurance companies who stand to profit as more people purchase ACA plans.

“This liberal dream is a billions of dollars giveaway to health insurance companies and encourages more employers to drop their job-based plans altogether,” said Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana.

Critics of the plan add that the need for expanded subsidies shows the ACA has made insurance too expensive.

The expanded tax credits would increase federal deficits by about $34 billion over 10 years, according to a February analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The initiative would expand health insurance through the exchanges by 1.7 million people in 2022.

Older adults with incomes above 400% of poverty would generally see some of the most significant savings, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The additional subsidies in the Covid relief bill could yield substantially lower premium payments for the nearly 14 million people insured on the individual market.

The changes, which mark the first major expansion of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, were part of the healthcare agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his campaign.

The hospital industry and insurers support the move. “[The] legislation includes many provisions to help hospitals and health systems provide care to their patients and communities,” Rick Pollack, president and chief executive of the American Hospital Association, said last week. While the hospitals support the changes, he said, they are disappointed the package doesn’t deliver more funding for provider relief.

The relief package also would encourage states to expand Medicaid. The federal government would for two years increase its matching funds to cover both existing Medicaid enrollees and the full cost of expanding, up from its current payment covering 90% of costs for states that haven’t expanded yet. Twelve states including Florida, Texas and Wisconsin have opted not to expand Medicaid, and state officials have in many cases cited the cost as a reason. It isn’t clear whether the change would persuade those states to expand Medicaid.

The Senate version also provides more relief for people who have lost their jobs and need health insurance. People who lose their jobs can remain on their employers’ health plans for up to 18 months but must pay a monthly premium. The Senate bill would subsidize all of the premiums, a boost from a House-passed bill that would subsidize 85% of the premium costs.

The subsidies for Cobra—an insurance-continuation program that employers are, in most circumstances, required to offer workers who have been terminated—have been cheered by insurers and some labor groups who say it will ensure people retain coverage during a pandemic that has led to a surge in joblessness claims.

“Covid-19 has left many hospitality workers in a desperate situation: no job, no healthcare, no savings,” said D. Taylor, international president of Unite Here, a labor union in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse and casino gaming industries.

With the Senate passing its version of the relief package, Democrats are already in talks about what healthcare measures to include in the next legislative package. Measures such as lowering the age eligibility of Medicare from 65 to 60 are likely to face fiercer objections from hospitals and other companies that could see their profits erode.

This article was originally published on wsj.com on March 9, 2021.
Written by: Stephanie Armour

 Shop & Compare The Best Available Plans Now >>

March 12, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-12 13:03:002022-05-27 21:17:56Covid-19 Stimulus Bill Contains Biggest Change to Obamacare Since 2010

COVID bill to deliver big health insurance savings for many

General Information

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Several million people stand to save hundreds of dollars in health insurance costs, or more, under the Democratic coronavirus relief legislation on track to pass Congress.

Winners include those covered by “Obamacare” or just now signing up, self-employed people who buy their own insurance and don’t currently get federal help, laid-off workers struggling to retain employer coverage, and most anyone collecting unemployment. Also, potentially many more could benefit if about a dozen states accept a Medicaid deal in the legislation.

Taken together, the components of the coronavirus bill represent the biggest expansion of federal help for health insurance since the Obama-era Affordable Care Act more than 10 years ago. “Obamacare” not only survived former President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to tear it down but will now get a shot of new life.

Consider a couple of examples: A hypothetical 45-year-old making $58,000 now gets no aid under the ACA. With the bill, they’d be entitled to a $1,250 tax credit, or 20% off their premiums, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A 64-year-old making $19,300 already gets generous subsidies that reduce premiums to $800 a year. But with the bill, that person would pay no premiums for a standard plan.

Because health insurance is so complicated, consumers are going to have to do their homework to figure out if there’s something in the bill for them. And health care benefits are not like stimulus checks that can be blasted out. There will be a lag as government agencies, insurers and employers unpack the bill’s provisions.

There’s also a political twist. Since most of the health care aid is keyed to the pandemic and expires by the end of 2022, that will let Democrats set up election-year votes to make new benefits permanent, or build them out even more.

“There was always a hope that we were going to be able to return and build on where we started in 2009-2010, and we finally got to a place where it was possible,” said Judy Solomon of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Her organization advocates on behalf of low-income people and was an early supporter of the health care law.

“We had this massive fight that went on for 10 years,” said blogger Robert Laszewski, who followed “Obamacare” for an industry audience. “Over the weekend, it’s like it’s been erased.”

The COVID-19 bill follows President Joe Biden’s strategy of building on the health law to move the U.S. toward coverage for all. It’s still unclear how big a dent the legislation will make in the number of uninsured people, which has risen to an estimated 33 million or more.

A major health care item in the bill will depend on some Republican-led states going along. States mainly in the South have refused to expand Medicaid to low-income adults under the ACA. The legislation offers them a temporary infusion of billions of dollars to reconsider. If those states, including Texas, Florida and Georgia, were to do that, Biden would be closer to his coverage goal.

Even if the hold-outs spurn the offer, the legislation provides plenty of other benefits.

The biggest winners will be the more than 11 million people already enrolled in “Obamacare” as well as those who are now shopping for HealthCare.gov coverage. Biden has opened up a special sign-up period through May 15.

The bill would change the formulas for health insurance tax credits to make them more generous for most people, and also allow a wider number of individuals to qualify. That makes coverage more attractive for people who are considering whether to buy and more affordable for those who already have it, mainly low-to-moderate income working people.

Insurers are hoping that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be able to quickly update HealthCare.gov software, allowing the companies to promote lower premiums and attract more consumers while the current sign-up window remains open. Industry also wants the agency to automatically adjust what existing customers are paying, sparing millions the headache of having to go back and reapply.

In a politically significant change, the bill would provide health insurance tax credits to people with solid middle-class incomes who don’t now qualify for help with their premiums. That’s a demographic that includes many self-employed people and business owners who were hit with higher premiums as a result of the ACA, but cut out of the benefits. Their complaints fueled Republican opposition to the health law. “These are the people Trump was responding to,” said Laszewski.

Another inducement is aimed at people who have lost jobs. Those who collect unemployment this year, if even for one week, would qualify for the most generous ACA tax credits as well as its biggest reductions in copays and deductibles.

Other people who lose their jobs may want to keep their employer coverage. A federal law known as COBRA allows that, but the employee has to pay the full premium, often a prohibitive expense. The bill would provide a temporary 100% subsidy.

Republicans cite the health insurance provisions as an example of coronavirus overreach by Democrats. Policy consultant Brian Blase, a former health care adviser in the Trump White House, says most of the additional subsidies for coverage will merely substitute for what private households would have otherwise paid. If made permanent, he predicts that over time the sweeter tax credits will have the unintended consequence of enticing small businesses to stop offering coverage to their workers.

This article was originally published on abcnews.go.com on March 8, 2021.
Written by: Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

See What Plans You Could Qualify For Today >>

March 9, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-09 14:24:002022-05-03 20:34:41COVID bill to deliver big health insurance savings for many

You May Be Surprised by the Type of American Who Is Postponing Basic Health Care During the Pandemic

General Information

You May Be Surprised by the Type of American Who Is Postponing Basic Health Care During the Pandemic.

There’s more than one way to get sick during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can contract the virus, of course, as more than 28 million Americans already have. Or you can dodge the disease but still suffer from the disruption caused by quarantines and social distancing, if they lead you to neglect routine health care. That, a new TIME-Harris Poll survey shows, is just what too many of us are doing.

The top-line numbers from the survey of 1,093 participants (a representative sample of the U.S. public) are sobering, with 78% of respondents reporting that they have put off at least some medical services during the past three months of pandemic. Of those procedures, dental exams or cleanings were the most frequently missed, with 30% saying that they have passed on regular oral care. Annual physical check-ups were next at 27%, followed by eye exams at 25%.

More troubling—if somewhat less common—were the 15% of people who said they were missing appointments with specialists, including orthopedists, dermatologists and, most worrisome, cardiologists. The 500,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic represents a scary enough figure, but it still trails the 655,000 who lose their lives each year to cardiovascular disease. If even a fraction of heart-disease patients are missing their regular cardiology visits during the pandemic, there could be a bump in that overall mortality number down the line.

A similar trend could result from people missing routine cancer screenings. “I am most concerned about an increase in morbidity and mortality due to cases of cancer being detected too late,” says Kelly Anderson, a health services researcher and PhD candidate at John Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Demographics play a significant role in who is staying current with health care during the pandemic and who is letting things slide. In the case of education, for example, good health practices seemed to be inversely associated with academic achievement. Only 16% of people with a high school education or less have put off their routine check-ups during the pandemic, compared to 31% of people with some college and 34% of college graduates.

Similarly, lower income Americans appear to be doing a better job of looking after themselves than higher-earners. Just 21% of people in households with less than $50,000 annual income are missing routine physicals, compared to 23% in the $75,000 to $100,000 group and a whopping 35% of those in households earning more than $100,000 annually.

In some ways, these numbers are unsurprising. Lower-income and less-educated people tend to be more likely to have chronic health problems and thus have less of an option of skipping their physicals. “Conditions like diabetes and hypertension are more common among people with lower income. They might feel like they just know they can’t miss a check-up, so they make it more of a priority,” says Dr. Jessica Justman, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “People with higher income have more options for diet and exercise and are healthier overall.”

Insurance—or lack of it—may be at work too, says Dr. David Buchholz, medical director of primary care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. People in lower income brackets are disproportionately represented among the uninsured, and thus likelier to lack access to health care to begin with; if they haven’t been getting regular physicals all along, they’d be less likely to describe themselves as missing them now. “If they’re starting from a baseline health care of zero,” Buchholz says, “they’ll still be zero during the pandemic.”

For people who do have health insurance, the type of policy is a factor as well. Among those who get their insurance through the public marketplace—where there can often be high deductibles and other out of pocket expenses—62% are saying no thanks to annual checkups compared to just 32% of people on employer-sponsored health care plans.

As with so many things, race and ethnicity play a significant role as well, with communities of color suffering more—often lacking health insurance and working in lower income jobs. Among white Americans, 20% report missing their annual check-ups during the pandemic, compared to 29% of Black Americans and 48% of Hispanic Americans. Structural disadvantages that made health care harder to access pre-pandemic would only be exacerbated when lockdowns and economic hardship set in.

Anderson also points out that even among low-income Medicaid recipients, there are up-front costs for health care, which may simply not be affordable in the COVID-19 economy. “Even small out of pocket costs can be a major barrier and lead to people forego care,” she says.

No surprise at all in our incorrigibly partisan culture, political leanings have played a role in health care decisions in the past year. Throughout the pandemic, blue-staters and Democrats have generally been more compliant with mask-wearing and social-distancing, while red America has pushed back, as one study from the University of Chicago confirmed. But when it comes to health checkups, self-identified liberals were likelier to report letting things slide in the TIME/Harris Poll survey, with 32% saying they’ve skipped annual exams, compared to 27% of moderates and 24% of conservatives.

Buchholz thinks at least some of this may have to do with the share of red-staters who believe the pandemic is either a hoax or exaggerated. If they’re continuing to go to bars and restaurants and parties, there’s no reason they wouldn’t go right ahead going in for physicals too. Liberals, by contrast, who tend to fear the pandemic more, might see doctors’ offices as dangerous congregate settings and seek to avoid them. “In red states, people are going about their business,” Buchholz says. “Liberals are hunkering down more.”

This article was originally published on time.com on February 23, 2021.
Written by: Jeffrey Kluger

March 5, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-05 13:37:002022-05-27 21:36:18You May Be Surprised by the Type of American Who Is Postponing Basic Health Care During the Pandemic

At Last, Democrats Get Chance to Engineer Obamacare 2.0

General Information

The Biden administration is trying to make the health care law more generous and closer to its original design, but may disappoint progressive allies hoping for more.

 

Read more

March 2, 2021
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Healthedly-Blog.png?time=1656569409 900 1366 healthedly23 https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.152.202/720.193.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Healthedly.svg healthedly232021-03-02 18:34:002021-03-02 18:34:00At Last, Democrats Get Chance to Engineer Obamacare 2.0
Page 1 of 212

Categories

  • ACA
  • Dental
  • General Information
  • Health Resources
  • Individual and Family
  • Life Insurance
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • News
  • Obamacare
  • Short Term
  • Special Enrollment Period
  • Supplemental
  • Travel Medical
  • Vision

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021

Healthedly
Call: (855) 522-2201

Email: support@healthedly.com

2929 N Central Expy Ste 175, Richardson, TX 75080

Insurance Plans

Individual & Family Plans

Medicare Plans

Life Insurance Plans

Dental & Vision Plans

Small Business Health Plans

Travel Health Plans

Shop By State

Resources

Español

Healthedly Blog

Insurance Payment Options

Special Enrollment Period

Medicaid & CHIP

Health Insurance FAQs

Community Events

Elite Plus Circle of Champions

This website is operated by Healthedly Insurance Services, LLC.  It is not the Health Insurance Marketplace website.  Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

Privacy Policy

© Copyright Healthedly Insurance Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top